Kremlin warns of 'new world war' amidst accusations of Western fascism
Vyacheslav Volodin, the Chairman of Russia's parliament - the State Duma, draws attention to the threat of a new global conflict. On the 80th anniversary of the end of the Siege of Leningrad, the politician expressed these concerns through a post on the Telegram messenger.
2:01 PM EST, January 27, 2024
"Fascist ideology has become common among the leaders of NATO countries," asserts Volodin, echoing Russia's falsehoods. Moreover, he criticizes Western governments, primarily Germany's, for purportedly backing a genocidal policy in Ukraine. "This is a drastic direction that can instigate a new world war," he noted.
Historical justifications
Russia attempts to justify its nearly two-year aggressive assault against Ukraine, in part by claiming a requirement for "denazification" of the country. Russian President Vladimir Putin regularly draws parallels with World War II to validate attacks on its neighbor.
Simultaneously, he equates the invasion of Ukraine, which he authorized, to the defense of the Soviet Union during the lethal incursion of Nazi Germany. Moscow is keen on seizing the opportunity of various anniversaries to manipulate the memories of war victims for their propaganda.
The Leningrad ordeal
Eighty years ago today, on January 27, 1944, Soviet forces broke the blockade of the German Wehrmacht surrounding Leningrad, now St. Petersburg. Earlier, German troops had induced the deaths of about 1.2 million people in the city. Death came in the form of bombings, famine, and cold.
Germany's ambassador to Russia, Alexander Graf Lambsdorff, labeled the blockade of Leningrad as "a particularly shocking and savage war crime amid a criminal onslaught on the Soviet Union".
